Engine-starter drive



June 28, 1927'. 1,633,863

S. L. KELLY ET AL ENGINE STARTER DRIVE Filed March as. 1926 s Sheets-Sheet 1.

mununuwull I Y Mowzwzce June 28 1927.

s. L. KELLY ET AL ENGINE STARTER muva Filed Mare); 28. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4M {Mm/n06; 614

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ENGINE STARTER DRIVE June 28 1 2 Filed March as. 1926 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Zlvwentoz oaammca .JKaw

Patented June 28, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

snnnMAn L. KELLY AND LAWRENCE n. Koos, or TOLEDO, onro.

ENGINE-STARTER DRIVE.

Application filed March Our invention has for its object to provide a starter mechanism for intermilcombustion engines which is operated by-an electric motor and wherein an arm, having an idler gear may be releasably connected to the shaft of the electric motor whereby the arm will be rotated a short angular distance to complete the driving connection between the electric motor and the engine. The releasement and connection of the arm to the shaft of the motor is automatically controlled by the operation of the motor. In order to prevent clashing of the gears, the releasement .of the arm is preferably produced slightly in advance of the gear connection between the pinion of the motor and the ring gear of the engine, the momentum of the arm thus produced causing its continued movement to place the idler in mesh with the ring gear. When the drive on the arm is released its speed or rate of movement is slightly reduced while the motor shaft is increased in speed and consequently the idler will be rotated at a slow speed due to the differencein speed of the arm and the shaft of the motor. This slow rotation of the idler will insure the entry or meshing of the teeth of the idler with the ring gear of the engine and without clashing'of the gear.

The invention may be contained in starting mechanisms of different forms and to illustrate a practical application of the invention we have selected a structure con.- taining the invention as an example of'such structures and shall describe it hereinafter. The drive mechanism selected is shown in the accompanying drawings and is described hereinafter.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an end view of the motor located in position with reference.-

to the ring gear of an internal combustion engine, a part of which is shown in the ure- Fig. 2 is a top view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates the gear when the arm is in position of releasement from the shaft to the motor. illustrates a view of a section showing the gear wheels'when they are connected. F i 5 is a side view of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 andQ. Fig. 6 is an end'view of the mechanismwhen the gears are in the position indicated in Fig. a, namely, when driving connection has been made. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a clutch member for connecting'the idler supporting arm to the shaft of the electric motor.

29, 1926. Serial No. 98,127.

In the form of starting mechanism shown in the drawing, the electric motor 1 is suitably mounted on' the engine shell or the chassis frame of the automobile-so that the axis of the shaft is located parallel to the axis-of the crank shaft of the engine. A pinion 2 is'keyed to the electric motor shaft 3 and an idler f is mounted on an arm 5'tl1at is located on the shaft 3. The arm 5 has a pair of cam surfaces 6 that are inclined to the axis of the shaft 3 while a disc 7 is keyed by means of the pin 8 to the shaft 3. A

clutch member- 9 has camsurfaces 10 that correspond to the camsurfaces that are formed'on' the arm 5 and so as to slidably engage the surfaces. The clutch member 9 also has the plane surface 11 that is located in opposition to the inner surface of the disc 7 and whenthe disc 7 is threaded on to the end of the shaft 3 and the arm 5 is located in its normal position, that is, so that its outer end is: remote from the ring gear of 'the engine, the surfaces 11 of the clutch member Qand'the disc 7 will frictionally engage witheach other, to cause the rotation of the arm 5 with the shaft, the surfaces 6 and 10 being so located relative to each other that the clutch member 9 will tightly wedge between the disc and the arm 5 sufficient to cause the arm 5 to rotate with the motor shaftand carry the idler towards the ring gear12 of the engine.

The movement ofthe arm 5 is yieldingly resistediby the'spring 15 which surrounds the boss or bearing 16 of the motor shaft. It has on-e'end 17 that engages a stub shaft 18 that-is'keyed to or otherwise secured in the arm 5'andcthe other end 19 that engages the stop 20 that protrudes prominently from the end of the motor shell or case. Movement of the arm 5'to swing the idler 1 is thus elastically resisted by the spring 15. A stop 21 may beformed on the end of the motor 1' which extends in the path of moveient of the end of the stub shaft. 18 against which the spring 15 will normally press the end of theshaft or towards which it will tend to move the arm 5 when the end of the sha t 18 is moved'away from the stop 21.

The wedging action of the clutch member 9,.

or the frictional engagement with the disc 7, is thus sufficiently great to swing the arm 5 downward towards the ring gear 12 against the resistance of the spring15 and notwith-v standing the inertia of the arm" 5. Such movement, however, gives to the arm 5 a' certain momentum which causes it to conwill cause the arm to take such a position tinue its rotation through a small angle notthat the circumference of the outer ends of withstanding the fact that the clutch engagethe teeth 'of the idler will be located just ment between the arm 5 and the shaft 3 is outside of the circumference of the outer released sufficiently to permit rotation of the end of the teeth of the ring gear. When the idler on the stub shaft 18 in advance of the circuit of the motor is opened, the arm 5 will meshing of the idler lwith the ring gear 12. swing back to its normal position, namely, The clutch member 9 is provided with a that position wherein the spring 26 will finger 25 that en ages the stop 20 in advance cause the clutch member 9 to frictionally of the alinement of the centers of the gear connect the arm 9 to the shaft 3 of the motor. wheels. The finger 25 is spring pressed by If then the circuit of the motor is closed, the means of the spring 26 to normally maintain arm 9 will be again swung downward tothe clutch engagement between the arm 5 :ards the stop 20 and the teeth of the idler and the shaft?) and when the linger25 strikes will be carried into meshing relation with the stop 20 a small angular movement of the teeth of the ring gear 12 the finger 25 will release the arm 5 at least J \Ve claim:

or 6-1000 inch sufficient to permit rotation 1. In an engine starter, a motor shaft, a of the shaft relative to the arm 5. This pinion on the motor shaft, an arm located releasement of the arm preferably occurs on the botorshaft, an idler pivotally supwhen the circumference of the ends of theported on the arm and meshing with the teeth of the pinion l is close to but on the l inion, a friction clutch member, the armoutside f the circumference of the ends of and the clutch member having a cam surthe teeth of the ring gear 12. The momenQ ace for movement of the arm and member tum induced in the arm 5 by the angular longitudinally with respect to the shaft, a movement produced by the rotation of the, friction member secured to the shaft for sl'iaft 3 will carry the arm sufficiently for-jfrictionally engaging the clutch member for ward to place the idler at in position to mesh; rotating the arm and the clutch member with the teeth of the ring gear, that is, to with the shaft, a means for operating the place the centers of the gear wheels in line. clutch member to release the arm, and the his forward movement of the arm 5 is clutch member when the gears are in mesh. stopped by means of the stop 20, the surface 2. In an engine starter, a motor shaft, a 27 of the arm engaging the stop 20. When pinion onthe motor shaft, an arm located the finger 25 strikes the stop 20 the spring on the motor shaft, an idler pivot-ally sup- 26 is compressed between the finger 25 and ported on the arm and meshing with the the boss 28 that is located on the arm 5. pinion, a friction clutch member, the arm Also when the arm 5 is released from the and the clutch member having a cam surshaft 3, the .spring 15 resists the movement face for movement of the arm and member of the arm 5 towards the stop 20 and conlongitudinally with respect to the shaft, a sequently the effect on the arm 5 is to reduce friction member secured to the shaft for its momentum, that is, its speed of rotation frictionally engaging the clutch member for about the axis of rotation and the pinion 2 rotating the arm and the clutch member operates on the idler 4t to rotate the idler with the shaft, an elastic means located inl due to this difference in angular speed of termediate the arm and the clutch member rotation of the arm 5 and the shaft 3, so that for normally frictionally connecting the arm as the arm 5 is moved towards the line jointo the shaft and a means for operating the in the centers of the crank shaft of the enclutch member to release the arm and the gine and the shaft of the electric motor, the clutch member when the gears are in mesh. idler -11; will be slowly rotated so that its 3. In an engine starter, a motor shaft, a teeth will enter between the teeth of the stapinion on the motor shaft, an arm located tionary ring gear 12 and engage therewith on the motor shaft, an idler pivotally supwhen the arm 5 is brought to a stop. The ported on the arm and meshing with the speed of the idler will then become the same pinion, a friction clutch member, the arm as that of the pinion and consequently the and the clutch member having a cam surteeth of the idler will be held in its driving face for movement ofthe arm and member Connection ith th ri ea f the. gine longitudinally with respect to the shaft, a as long as work is being done in turning friction member secured to the shaft for over the crank shaft. VVhen, however, the frictionally engaging the clutch member for engine picks up its speed so that it loosens rot ing the arm and the clutch member the driving contact of the gear wheels the with the shaft, an elastic means located in jd1 in b ki k d t? f th t th termediate the arm and the clutch member of the ring gear of the engine. for normally frictionally connecting the arm If, however, the idler should not enter o the shaft, and a stop engaged by the arm the teeth of the ring gear but the ends of and by the clutch member for releasing the the teeth of the idler should strike the ends d e C utch member from the shaft. of the teeth of the ring gear, the spring 15 4. In an engine starter, a motor shaft, a

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pinion on the motor shaft, an arm located on the mot shaft, an idler pivotally supported on the arm and meshing with the pinion, a friction clutch member, the arm and the clutch member having a cam surface for movement of the arm and member longitudinally with respect to the shaft, a friction member secured to the shaft for frictionally engaging the clutch memberfor rotating the arm and the clutch member With the shaft, an elastic means located intermediate the arm and the clutch member for normally frictionally connecting the arm to the shaft,

and a stop engaged by the arm and by the clutch member for releasing the arm and the clutch member from the shaft, in advance of the engagement of the stop by the arm.

5. In an engine starter, a ring gear connected to the engine, a motor shaft, a pinion on the motor shaft, an arm located on the motor shaft, an idler pivotally supported on the arm and meshing With the pinion, a clutch member rotatably mounted on the motor shaft for locking the arm to the motor shaft, means for engaging the clutch member to release the arm from the motor shaft to permit the motor shaft to rotate relative to the arm and rotate the ring gear through the idler.

6. in an engine starter, the engine having a ringgcar. a motor shaft, a pinion on the motor shaft, an arm located on the motor shaft, an idler pivotally supporten on the arm and meshing With the pinion, a clutch member rotatably supported on the motor shaft and for locking the arm to the motor shaft, the clutch member having a finger, the motor having a stop for engaging the finger when the arm is rotated so as to move the idler towards the ring gear and for operating the clutch to release the arm from the motor shaft to permit the motor shaft to rotate relative to the arm and rotate the ring gear of the engine through the idler.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto signed our names to this specification.

SHERMAN L. KELLY. LAWRENCE E. Koos. 

